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Great Battle of Irukanj
Reserve Defense Guard ** First Mushroom Army ** Second Mushroom Army * Mushroom Fleet|side2 = Withered Armed Forces * Centurion Division * 5th Centaur Army * Pandoran Legion **Medusa Detachment *Free Dwarven Army|commanders2 = * Commander Marr|prev = *Battle of Port O'Sey|next = *Battle of Nikrios Bay|commanders1 = * Grand Admiral Ejikas † * Vizier Siruna Kyronis}}The Great Battle of Irukanj was the massive decisive invasion of Irukanj by the Withered Faction against the United Mushroom Union that took place from January 6 to August 9 3856. The liberation of the Summerlands from Mushroom control began a process of disintegration that would lead the UMU to its demise. The course of the entire war rested on what would be the imminent invasion of Irukanj. Therefore, Commander Marr of the Withered military formed a massive invasion force to take the island. The Withered invasion force was accompanied by a band of Dwarven soldiers known as the Free Dwarven Army. Made up of dwarves from all over the Summerlands, their aim was to fulfil their vengeance against the Irukanji for the Massacre of Mek'ha nearly four thousand years prior. The invasion of Irukanj was the most costliest campaign of the Great Mushroom War thusfar, in terms of life and economic values. The fighting was fast and ferocious. Consistent chemical and bio weapon bombardments led to untold losses of life. Even after the fall of the Irukanji's last garrison, the death did not stop. The sudden collapse of the island's ravaged ecosystem unleashed a volatile fog of toxic spores, forcing the Withered to hastily evacuate, leaving behind valuable war materiel. Half a million injured and dying soldiers were left behind, their remains still on the island to this day. Prelude Mushroom Defences The Reserve Defense Guard was made up of two fully-manned armies backed by the Mushroom Airforce. Furthermore, they were also backed by a new neverbefore seen unit known as the Chemical Warfare Division, or Kemtruppen for short. This division was designed solely to transport and use potent and incredibly toxic chemical and bio weapons, most of which were derived and synthesised from ecological sources on Irukanj itself, such as toxic spores from the Mushroom trees themselves. Due to the short life-span and unstable composition of these weapons, the Mushroom Army was unable to use them against the Withered Faction during the Great Liberation War. Therefore, their usage during the battle was new and forced the Withered military to completely alter its strategy. It was these bio weapons that inflicted the most enemy fatalities. Native Irukanji were immune, or partially immune to the effects of these toxins and many Withered Centurions who survived the attacks witnissed Irukanji civilians walking through areas filled with toxic gas while the corpses of Withered soldiers lined the dirt. The use of civilians as weapons also inflicted casualties. Irukanji civilians were extremely hostile and un-cooperative, often luring and backstabbing Withered soldiers and refusing to comply with military police. History Background Leading up to the invasion, the Withered Fleet had conquered the island's south-eastern sea from the remains of the Mushroom Summer Fleet. Almost immediately, Marr had ordered for the creation of a massive invasion force to take Irukanj. Nearly 1.2 million Withered troops, mostly from the Centaur and Centurion Divisions were assembled and loaded onto troop carriers in the deepwater port of Port Thorius. Marr also wanted the battle to be the grand debut of his latest military endeavour. The all-female Pandoran Legion was created especially to serve as a stealth elite unit to go behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. However the decision was met with severe logistical issues. As per Marr's orders, the Faction's civilian industrial capacity was diverted to the war effort. The long distance meant that supply lines would be stretched incredibly wide and that economic collapse would occur if the Withered military would remain mobilised any longer. However Marr and his commanders knew that the United Mushroom Union would only reorganise itself and the window of opportunity to strike was narrow. In a move quite unlike himself, Marr took a gamble and committed all his forces to invading the island. If the invasion had failed, it would prove monumentally disastrous for the Withered Faction. On the morning of December 21, the Withered invasion fleet departed the Summerlands. The fleet of troop carriers were defended by a sizeable Withered naval convoy while the bulk of the Withered assault ships went ahead, searching for and destroying Mushroom scout ships. The Fleet arrived just 100 kilometres off the coast of the Irukanj on January 5, however a massive cold front moved in, creating a powerful storm which created large waves. Ignoring the advice of his generals, Marr ordered for the invasion to commence. The first troop carriers beached themselves on the south-eastern shores of the island, becoming immobile fortresses. Invasion The Withered Fleet was taken surprise by the coastal defenses, which consisted of incredibly powerful cannons hidden within the cliffs. To combat this, Marr sent a stealth squad from the Medusa Detachment on a mission to infiltrate the island and take the weapons out. They were deployed late evening, July 05, while the Withered invasion force was put to full alert.The squad landed on the beach, and navigated their way to the weapons areas. The squad then broke the radio silence and warned the Withered forces of extreme enemy activity in the area. The squad attempted to take the weapons offline by detonating the reactor that powered them, and they were caught, bringing the enemies to full alert. The detonation only bought the Invasion some time. The last communication from the squad notified the invasion of their success in temporarily bringing the weapons offline. Marr ordered the invasion to take place. By the time the coastal batteries were online, Withered troops were being deployed on the beach, with heavy resistance from Mushroom paratroopers which had dug in at the top of the beach.. After heavy fighting, the beach was secured. However the coastal batteries made it difficult to deliver troops and supplies. Legacy The invasion itself would be preserved in Withered military history as well as in the minds of the soldiers who fought and survived it. In his later years, Marr referred to the battle as one of his greatest tactical blunders. Following the end of the battle, nearly a third of the surviving soldiers had to be sent home and replaced with fresh reserves due to severe health issues arising from the chemical attacks. The reserve troops began to run dangerously low, so Marr had to coordinate the Invasion of the Winterlands with the utmost care to maximise wartime efficiency. Although the spoils of war looted from the island helped in healing the economy somewhat, it only delayed what would be a disastrous collapse. This would later prove instrumental in Marr's decision to withdraw completely from the Winterlands, allowing the Capitol Dominion to come to power.